Geotechnical Engineering Commons^™

Investigation Of Installation Torque And Torque-To-Capacity Relationship Of Screw-Piles And Helical Anchors, Mark Ruberti

Geotechnical Engineering Masters Projects

Installation torque has been used in the design of helical anchors (Screw-Piles) since the late 1960s. KT factors released by the manufacturer relating ultimate capacity of Screw-Piles to installation torque allow engineers to calculate a design installation torque which is necessary to achieve the design capacity in the field. These KT factors have been based on shaft geometry alone (Hoyt and Clemence 1989). Recent full-scale uplift tests in both clay and sand have shown that the traditional methods of analysis for estimating uplift capacity based on microscale tests are not representative of macroscale behavior. A soil wedge does not fully …

Commercialization Of A Small, Lightweight, Low-Cost Seismic Borehole Receiver, Rachel Adams

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Herein, conceptualization of a recently patented seismic borehole receiver and its components is developed for commercialization. The device is significantly cheaper, lighter, and smaller than existing technologies on the market. Additionally, it has the potential to achieve better seismic readings than its competitors via patented sensor-to-borehole coupling mechanism. It is the hope that the commercialization of this device will not only provide a more affordable alternative to engineers and geophysicists in the existing market, but the significant cost difference may open new seismic measurement opportunities in the developing world. Its compact size and light weight will increase mobility, allowing investigators …

Geomechanical Characterization Of Marcellus Shale, Rafael Villamor Lora

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Given their potential applications for a number of engineering purposes, the geomechanics of shale reservoirs is becoming one of the most important issues in modern geomechanics. Borehole stability modeling, geophysics, shale oil and shale gas reservoirs, and underground storage of CO2 and nuclear waste are some of these potential applications to name a few. The growing interest in these reservoirs, as a source for hydrocarbons production, has resulted in an increasing demand for fundamental material property data.

Laboratory analysis and constitutive models have shown that rock elastic and deformational properties are not single-value, well-defined parameters for a given rock. Finding …

Evaluating Methods Of Field-Based 3d Visualization And Their Application To Mapping Metamorphic Terranes: An Example From The Panamint Mountains, California, Jade Ashley Brush

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Field geology has traditionally relied on 2D, paper-based workflows, but digital mapping techniques are rapidly replacing these outdated methods because they allow for more efficient and accurate mapping. This research applies digital mapping techniques and two terrestrially-based 3D visualization technologies, photogrammetry and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), to the study of metamorphic terranes in the Panamint Mountains, California. This study reports on the spatial accuracy of TINs (triangulated irregular networks) generated from both photogrammetry and ground-based LiDAR using a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and discusses how spatial accuracy can be increased. Two levels of comparison were used to test spatial …

Damage Detection Methodologies For Structural Health Monitoring Of Thin-Walled Pressure Vessels, Arturo Modesto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a need in exploring structural health monitoring technologies for the composite structures particularly aged Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs) for the current and future implementation of COPVs for space missions. In this study, the research was conducted in collaboration with NASA Kennedy Space Center and also NASA Marshall Space and Flight Center engineers. COPVs have been used to store inert gases like helium (for propulsion) and nitrogen (for life support) under varying degrees of pressure onboard the orbiter since the beginning of the Space Shuttle Program. After the Columbia accident, the COPVs were re-examined and different studies (e.g. …

Evaluation Of Strength And Hydraulic Properties Of Buried Pipe Systems Used For Stormwater Harvesting, Mario Samson Mena

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water scarcity has been identified as a global issue. Both water harvesting and an efficient water piping system are some of the important factors to meet the water demand. In this study, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes used as an underground storage was evaluated and a Microsoft EXCEL based model was developed, called PIPE-R Model. To study the structural integrity of the pipes, laboratory and field testing were conducted. For the water harvesting, UCF Stormwater Management Academy designed an EXCEL based model to simulate the system's performance to store and redistribute water for an average year. The purpose of PIPE-R Model …

Evaluation Of Key Geomechanical Aspects Of Shallow And Deep Geothermal Energy, Robert Alexander Caulk

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Geothermal energy has become a focal point of the renewable energy revolution. Both shallow and deep types of geothermal energy have the potential to offset carbon emissions, reduce energy costs, and stimulate the economy. Before widespread geothermal exploration and exploitation can occur, both shallow and deep technologies require improvement by theoretical and experimental investigations. This thesis investigated one aspect of both shallow and deep geothermal energy technologies. First, a group of shallow geothermal energy piles was modeled numerically. The model was constructed, calibrated, and validated using available data collected from full-scale in-situ experimental energy piles. Following calibration, the model was …

National Science Foundation Soil-Bentonite Cutoff Wall Award Abstract, Jeffrey C. Evans, Michael A. Malusis, Robert W. Jacob

NSF Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Documents

This award abstract describes the purpose of constructing a soil-bentonite cutoff wall as well as the tests that were performed to analyze the performance of the wall.

Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Final Design Report, Ushma Manandhar, Brian Ward, Tyler Zbytek

NSF Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Documents

Technical report includes background information on the project, site borings, several laboratory tests that were performed, and designs for the cutoff wall.

Mechanical Behavior Of Grouted Sands, Ryan C. Ortiz

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Grouting techniques have been in used for many years, but several new grout materials have surfaced in recent decades that have re-defined the boundaries of the limitations of grouting programs. Typically these applications are used for seepage control in earthen impoundments, but strength of these earthen impoundments should be considered where there is potential for movement in the grouted soil mass. This study investigated initial conditions that could affect grout application effectiveness. The initial conditions in question were soil grain size and in situ moisture content. Two grouts were used, ultrafine and acrylate, and variations in pure grout properties were …

Deformation-Based Excavation Support System Design Method, Sekyi K. Intsiful

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Development in urban areas around the world has steadily increased in recent years. This rapid development has not been matched by the ever decreasing open space commonly associated with urban centers. Vertical construction, thus, lends itself a very useful solution to this problem. Deep excavation is often required for urban construction. Unfortunately, the ground movements associated with deep excavation can result in damage to adjacent buildings. Thus, it is critically important to accurately predict the damage potential of nearby deep excavations and designing adequate support systems.

A new design method is proposed, as an attempt, to address the problem. The …

Prediction Of Strength And Shear Modulus Of Compacted Clays Within An Unsaturated Critical State Framework, Corrie Walton-Macaulay

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The objective of this research study is to determine whether the soil stiffness, from which the small-strain shear modulus is determined, can be used to predict the shearing resistance of compacted clay soil, which are invariably under conditions of partial saturation. The research program developed for this objective included three major soil testing programs of matric suction, shear modulus, and strength.

A method to estimate matric suction of field compacted clay soil was presented and it is based on the quantified effect of change in initial void ratio on the soil water characteristic behaviors. With the use of a non-nuclear …

Simulating Energy Efficient Control Of Multiple-Compressor Compressed Air Systems, Sean Murphy, J. Kelly Kissock

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In many industrial facilities it is common for more than one air compressor to be operating simultaneously to meet the compressed air demand. The individual compressor set-points and how these compressors interact and respond to the facility demand have a significant impact on the compressed air system total power consumption and efficiency. In the past, compressors were staged by cascading the pressure band of each compressor in the system. Modern automatic sequencers now allow more intelligent and efficient staging of air compressors.

AirSim, a compressed air simulation tool, is now able to simulate multiple-compressor systems with pressure band and automatic …

Determining Rockfall Volumes In Three Sites Along Habs Mountain Road In Southwestern Saudi Arabia, Using Lidar Technology, Abdullah Ayed Al-Otaibi

Masters Theses

"The rugged elevated topography is a characteristic feature of the western and southwestern regions of Saudi Arabia. Few arterial roads connect the scattered villages of these regions to major cities, such as Habs Road in Jazan region. Rock fall poses a serious hazard to people, property and animals along the rock cuts of this road. Although no traditional Rockfall studies have previously been applied to this road, accessibility and rock formation shape and structure variability influenced the choice of using Terrestrial Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) technology to calculate the volume of rockfall at selected sites along this road.

Software …

Restricted Salt Diffusion In A Geosynthetic Clay Liner, Michael A. Malusis, Jong Beom Kang, Charles D. Shackelford

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Mechanical Characteristics Of Organically Modified Fly Ash-Kaolinite Mixtures, Xin Kang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Fly ash is a hazardous waste material to the environment. Beneficial reuse of fly ash, however, brings economic and environmental benefits, i.e., decreases the cost of disposal, reduces greenhouse gas emission, and improves mechanical properties of construction materials. Due to the lack of pozzolanic properties, the reuse rate of Class F fly ash in geotechnical engineering is relatively low (ACAA 2013). In order to promote the effectiveness and sustainability of high volume reuse of class F fly ash in geotechnical engineering, biopolymers (Chitosan, and Xanthan gum) and synthetic polymers (Polyethylene Oxide, PEO) were used instead of the traditional stabilizers to …

Performance Life Of Various Hot Mix Asphalt Mixtures In Texas, Danniel David Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Typically, pavement engineers in subjectively estimate the service lives of various hot-mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures as part of the life-cycle cost analysis considering the staged design and rehabilitation of flexible pavements. This study proposes the performance lives for the various dense-graded (conventional) mixtures, stone-matrix asphalts (SMA), permeable friction courses (PFC), performance design mixtures and other mixtures placed in Texas. A necessary and significant aspect of the approach involved data mining and merging several pavement management databases (Letting Database, DCIS and PMIS) to obtain mixture longevity data along with historical PMIS information. The product of the linking process resulted in the …

Agenda For Second Meeting Of The Forum For Promotion Of Soil Dynamics In India, Shamsher Prakash

Forum for Promotion of Soil Dynamics in India

No abstract provided.

Membership Of Forum For Promotion Of Soil Dynamics In India, Shamsher Prakash

Forum for Promotion of Soil Dynamics in India

No abstract provided.

Center Of Excellence In Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering And Soil Dynamics At Iit Roorkee, Shamsher Prakash

Forum for Promotion of Soil Dynamics in India

No abstract provided.